Shamanism is a dimension of human experience that can be found in every culture in any age.It can be observed in a variety of forms, ranging from a fundamental spontaneous experience, derivative culturally shared practices, or as veiled motifs of spiritual, medical, artistic, scientific, and psychotherapeutic interventions.

Paradoxically, as shamanism becomes more culturally shared, it may become less authentic—less culturally challenging—and degenerative.Provoked by an experience of everyday life as a sort of “half-truth,” shamanism is a method that focuses on the erroneous belief in a separation of human life from nature.Shamanism focuses specifically on remaining alert to the creatural dimensions of human life that can be overridden by cultural, socio-psychological dimensions of everyday life.

Shamanism is an expression of an enduring wild state to remain alert to the changing conditions of existence and integrate into the natural world that continues to design and express human life across the long run.

Open tree to a larger name, simple, eased as if you were
opening a meadow gate, not intellectual—

“Plant,” or to “flora,”

And the, still eased, open “Plant” to “aliveness,”

And a sensate flood of joy washes in.

Even in the slightest breeze, the quiver of leaves.

Profound, detailed sensitivity dancing all about you—“ the
millionth of a flicker” everywhere

“Tree” could have been different.

Tree might have evolved to be hardened. Crustose, like
lichens, walled, stump-like.

But tree is an open channel, another form of rivering:

Starlight into mass and upswelling hydrology and mineral and
aliveness.

And even more is offered in this aliveness overflowing the
bowl—

Insects and the prayers/songs/canticles of birds and
microbial life and on and on.

And what are these birds?

“Bird” swelling to “Fauna” swelling to “aliveness.”

The commonplace name of everything contains a wide-open medicine
word.

A shamanic quality.

It is not old, but rather enduring and unending eternal.

In each event and in each common word is a medicine word if
we are up to it, if we are really post-industrial and post-modern and reaching
toward our human potential.

In older days, living amongst trees and wild grasses,

Perhaps your aunty, swirling the iron skillet on the fire
sees sparks

And remarks that somewhere there must be a war,

Old skillet and fire and spark had something to say. [p. 98]

Or to optimize the potato crop, the children might have been
admonished

To release parts of themselves, [p. 6]

On in personal names [not “I’m number 1 type of names” or
names picked off a popular list, but rather naming related richly to aliveness
and sometimes self-depreciating or incident–related because self was not
central]: Fred Bloodclot Red, Weasel Heart, Louise Stabs-in-the-Back, Bumblebee
. [pp. 82, 84, 98]

[From Ray A. Young Bear, The
Invisible Musician]

And so in sensing, perhaps allow yourself to transform
concepts/thinking into “medicine words” and see what miracles might appear in
that which seems known, overworked, and banal.And most intriguing, perhaps find your life in it.